On the bookshelf: Libraries can be assets in adapting to Common Core

How old were you when you got your first job? By "job," I mean regularly executing a task for which a stranger compensated you. I was 16, and the position was photocopy clerk for a law firm.

On Day One, I was led into a cell-like cubicle padded floor-to-ceiling with lawyer's briefs, and instructed to make an accurate copy of each on the hulking 70s-era machine they had for that purpose.

My collation skills left a lot to be desired. I remember dropping several sets of papers -- some unnumbered -- and just guessing at how they went back together. I shudder now to think of a busy attorney paging through one of those copies, appraising the quality of my work in decidedly unlawyerly language. It didn't end well.

The workplace is more competitive now, and some poor schmoe with a fresh college degree would consider that modest job a plum entry-level position.

According to a recent Gallup study, there are 3 billion people worldwide vying for 1.2 billion jobs. That's serious competition, which is why the United States is retooling its K-12 educational standards to increase our children's viability in the global job market. You've probably heard about the Common Core curriculum, which has been adopted by California and 44 other states. It's coming soon to schools near you.

For many people, the last federal education initiative, No Child Left Behind, was a dismal failure, and they are skeptical about how effective Common Core will be. I expect most educators feel that they know a lot more about teaching than the government does, and I don't dispute that for an instant.

But the U.S. ranked 17th out of 50 in a study of how well countries prepare students for competing in today's global employment market, so Common Core seems like a policy move in the right direction. Performance standards used to be set by each state, but now the majority will measure students' progress using the same yardstick, so at least we'll be comparing apples to apples. Students will focus on the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that employers now require. Many job titles and skill sets currently in demand didn't even exist 20 years ago, so it's evident that we need to retool the way in which we prepare students for the work world.

Public libraries reinforce K-12 education in significant ways, including promoting reading readiness and curriculum support. As California implements Common Core, libraries, school districts and families will climb a steep learning curve together. Public libraries will need to augment their juvenile and young adult nonfiction collections and train staff to address the evolving needs of parents, teachers and students.

But the key goal of Common Core -- to produce critical thinkers who can apply ideas to solve real-world problems -- is old hat to libraries. The assimilation, interpretation and application of knowledge lies at the heart of what we do every day, so I think we're well-positioned to help our community meet new educational challenges.

Bring it on!

Lani Clarke is supervising librarian at the Vacaville Public Library-Cultural Center.